Understand
by RyuzakiYagami
Summary: Light finds himself in a desolate, deserted landscape. He thinks he's alone, but in truth, he isn't. After Death


Good and evil really weren't supposed to work together. It was just the way nature intended it. They are, and forever will be, complete opposites. Nothing ever positive came from the combination.

L and Light worked together for years before something went wrong. L's death seemed to have ended the only obstacle in Light's way. But then Near came along. Near defeated Kira, or Light if you prefer. Light's death ended Kira's reign.

"No!"

Light slammed his fist against the ground. This place was so bleak and uninteresting. It pained him to simply be in its surroundings. For Light finally understood what he did wrong. He had gotten ahead of himself, confidence had slipped out to early. He failed, and in the end lost to his rival, or rivals, in fatality.

"Damn you N!" he growled under his breath. His eyes rose to look at grey plains. Everything seemed the same boring, uninteresting shade. He understood why Ryuk seemed to bored with the Shinigami world, however that was not where he was now.

He slowly took a sitting posture, his eyes closed tightly as he pressed his hands against his forehead in frustration. This world was desolate. He had concluded that there was no one around, and that he was the only being to have inhabited this place. His mind froze, if there was no one else, how would he keep himself entertained? He had to have something done to keep his interests in things going.

"There has to be someone else here…" he said, staring around. "Where are you!?"

His sanity had not come back in tact just yet, he yelled into the oblivion where no other human seemed to be. Letting out a frustrated, throaty scream, Light jolted to his feet and glared. No one, "Impossible!" he spat.

_Pat… pat… pat…_ He heard footsteps on the lifeless dirt underneath his feet. When he looked down he noticed his feet weren't moving, it was someone else. His heart leaped for a split second, there was another life here. But who was it?

Soon Light found he could not move. He couldn't turn his head, nor his body in any way or position to glance at anything. His eyes and lungs were the only ones to seem to have remembered the ability of mobilization. He moved one of his fingers, they worked, but why was he frozen to the spot.

"Light."

They were standing behind him. They had the advantage. Light wasn't scared, he had died once, there was no possibility of it happening again. Death was done, therefore there was no consequence in this world, or so he thought anyway.

No words slipped past Light's lips. They were closed shut as well; unable to move nor part themselves even to let the most feeble mewl of helplessness pass through them.

"I see, you cannot speak."

Their voice was familiar. It clicked. He couldn't believe that he was in a place such as this. It was fairly obvious this place was for people who had done wrong during their life, so what was L doing here?

He heard more footsteps, L was walking again. He moved to stand in front of Light, his eyes drilling into the younger male's as he leaned closer to his face, his eyes cutting through him with slight disappointment.

"I thought you were smarter than this, but I believe I was wrong."

Movement was a much needed privilege that Light pleaded mentally to regain. His entire left hand began to remember the sensation of movement. It seemed to acquire color as well.

"At least this proves I was right in choosing who I did for a successor. Near will be a fine detective as he grows older, don't you think Yagami?"

Light's eyebrow twitched. He wanted to glare, but even his face muscles were frozen to give him a blank, slightly surprised expression.

"You needn't say anything. I already know your answer. But I want to know more about, is how you feel about death finally grabbing you. Raito, you died. It was fated. You should know by now you are not a god, and playing as one would have only resulted in punishment by death."

Now he felt warmth return through his limbs. His blood rushed dangerously through his veins; could L hear the roaring of the plasma as it pumped through each and every inch of Light's skin?

He leaped at L, wringing his hands around the man's neck in anger, ferocity, and pure frustration. L did not react, he maintained his emotionless, impassive expression that he usually wore. Nonchalantly he removed Light's hands from his neck. It appeared to have had no damage done upon it.

"I would have been a god if that stupid _kid_ hadn't gone and screwed up my plan! People worshiped me!"

"Unfortunately it was more out of fear than that of anything else, Light."

"Hmph, if you want to believe that, you might as well. I wouldn't say the same thing."

"That is because you're the one they supposedly looked up to."

"I wouldn't say that if I was in your shoes."

L looked at Light with slight amusement sparkling in the very depths of his dark chocolate eyes. He took a step closer and gave Light a small smile.

"Oh but Yagami-kun, I don't wear shoes…"

He wiggled his toes in the dirt that now had small, green blades of grass sprouting up from underneath those pale feet.

"So I don't believe you could…"

"Figuratively speaking!"

L shook his head and continued to gaze into Light's eyes, "What did you feel after I died? As Light Yagami, not Kira…"

Light's expression gleamed with shock. It was only apparent to L, but others would have simply brushed it off and left it at nothing. Light watched L get closer, he kept staring into his eyes.

"As _Light Yagami_…" he repeated.

The honey-haired male swallowed and kept his eyes locked onto those intimidating eyes. His hands began to shake slightly.

"I regretted doing it. I missed you."

"That's what I thought."

"Don't get cocky about it," Light growled.

"I wouldn't dream of it."

L stepped back and turned away from Light, walking away from the younger male. Behind him grass began to come lightly up through the grey dirt. Light stared at L, eyes shining as he stared at him. He must be the angel that had to keep this place up to date.

_He's doing a terrible job_.

Light followed L. He looked back and noticed some of the plants that L had grown dying beneath his presence.

"How did _you_ feel, Ryuzaki?"

"When I died?"

"Yes."

Silence. Light looked behind him still as he continued to walk. He walked into L who seemed deep in thought. His eyes staring at the wasteland before him. Light wondered if he was actually thinking, or simply staring into the bleak lands ahead.

"I felt numb."

"Care to exaggerate a little bit more?"

"Numb as in lifeless. That is the feeling death brings to fill your soul. You feel useless, helpless, and hopeless. This land has nothing but endless dreams that were crushed and destroyed by the multiple failures. I was assigned here because it was a known fact that you were going to come here not too shortly after I."

Light blinked, staring down at the raven-haired man. This world was a land of deceased dreams?

"And just to add on another note, I do not appreciate you screaming at my corpse. I would think even _you_ have respect for the dead and their graves, but I presumed wrong. This isn't anything I haven't experienced before though."

"You saw that?"

"How could I not? Light."

L turned, his eyes penetrating Light's body yet again as he stared up at him, "You screamed victory at my lifeless body, my wandering soul. It was disrespectful, I can sense it even in the afterlife."

Light's arm twitched as he stared down, "I demand more respect now."

"Only if you deserve it," Light said back just as coldly.

L shook his head, "You will never learn if you keep that up."

When L brought his hands to Light's eyes, he gently stroked down his eyelids to close them. He closed his own eyes, transferring his complete energy to the land. Light felt warmth brushing his body. When he opened his eyes, he saw a beautiful scene before him.

A meadow-like land, where a sparkling pond and waterfall rested in lush green grass. A small cottage was underneath a willow tree or two.

"Raito…" L said, looking it over with gentle eyes now. "I was not only assigned this land because you were here, and that I was supposed to show you the true realities…"

"What else were you sent here for?"

"I was supposed to show you how to trust someone, and love them."

Light grazed his eyes over the back of L's head, unsure of what he meant by that. He blinked his hazelnut brown eyes and leaned in, "What do you mean?"

L turned around, their faces mere centimeters apart as he pressed slightly closer.

"You didn't get to know me long enough. Before death, not only did I believe you to be my first friend, but my first love. You were the only man worthy of being even the slightest bit close to me. You and I share intellect on a very close scale…"

Light kept his gaze on L's face, keeping it steady and locked tightly.

"You loved me?"

"I still do. I love Light Yagami, that is. Not Kira…"

"I understand…"

Light carefully placed his hands on L's cheeks, pulling him up. The warmth of the sun warmed the two males, making Light's hair appear to be more golden as he pressed his lips softly against L's.

"I'm willing to understand."

"I am willing to teach…"


End file.
